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JAPAN

JAPAN / Politics
Jan 14, 2014
Masuzoe jumps into race, touts value of open policy debate
Former health minister Yoichi Masuzoe, entering the Feb. 9 Tokyo gubernatorial election, says he welcomes all challengers, including ex-Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa.

BUSINESS

BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 14, 2014
Current-account gap widens to record on weak yen
As imports climbed, the nation's current-account deficit widened to a record in November, underscoring challenges for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as he tries to drive a sustained economic rebound.
BUSINESS
Jan 14, 2014
Tepco burning twice as much coal
Tokyo Electric Power Co. burned twice as much coal for power generation in 2013 than it did in 2012 as the company spent the entire year without using any nuclear capacity.

Opinion

EDITORIALS
Jan 14, 2014
Leave those kids alone
The education ministry should rethink its attempt to introduce 'morals' as an official subject of instruction in elementary and junior high schools.
EDITORIALS
Jan 14, 2014
Lessons from the Diovan scandal
Fallout from the Diovan case in Japan suggests that clinical drug studies on patients should be financed either with public research funds or through formal funding contracts between pharmaceutical companies and the research institutions involved — rather than by pharma donations.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 14, 2014
Japan's Obama problem
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe does not appear to have considered the possibility that his pilgrimage to Yasukuni Shrine on Dec. 26 might end up helping China by deepening South Korea's antagonism toward Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 14, 2014
India's shambolic Afghan policy
India stands at a crossroads where it remains keen to preserve its interests in Afghanistan but has refused to step up its role as a regional security provider.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 14, 2014
Markets take a back seat under gesture liberalism
Building the Volt hybrid car was bailed-out General Motors' gesture of obeisance to its Washington masters when, in fact, U.S. auto sales have cruised back to 2007 levels thanks to Americans' fondness for pickup trucks and SUVs.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 14, 2014
The deal breaks down in Bangladeshi politics
Since the restoration of democracy in 1991, Bangladesh has managed to avoid the political turbulence that haunted it during the first two decades of its existence. Until now.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 14, 2014
Cannabis enters real world of taxes and regulation
Americans are just starting to see the first, hard details in the tricky balancing act of transforming recreational marijuana use into a legal business — in Washington and in Colorado. The big deal about legalization is that it may not be such a big deal, at least right away.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 14, 2014
Economic inequality by the click
Free markets are expected to distribute the fruits of some new technologies in dramatically unequal ways. Will the relative losers, satiated by computer games and Internet entertainment, and provided with the basics of a minimally acceptable life, be too docile to revolt?

Sports

BASKETBALL
Jan 14, 2014
Golden Kings roll past Five Arrows at home
The Ryukyu Golden Kings have a superb home-court advantage in Okinawa. The team's rabid, rowdy fans always make that possible, and are among the bj-league's team attendance leaders season after season.
MORE SPORTS / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
Jan 14, 2014
Coaching, managerial changes follow predictable patterns
Whenever a coaching change is made in the NFL or a managerial switch takes place in MLB, the players on the teams involved must feel like police suspects being subjected to the classic "good cop-bad cop" routine.

LIFE

Japan Times
Juiced for a citrus winter
One of my favorite winter pastimes growing up was to snuggle under the futon covering a kotatsu (heated table), doing my homework or watching TV, as I methodically worked my way through a big bowl of Satsuma mikan, the little oval-shaped oranges that are known as clementines or tangerines in the West....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 14, 2014
Maishin: Safe haven in Shibuya for sake-loving adults
Shibuya is not a neighborhood where you head for haute cuisine. But all that window-shopping, people-watching, hanging out and having fun can be hungry work. So it's good to have a few places up your sleeve that offer sustenance and respite from the crowds and noise.
Japan Times
Latin bars offer a change of tempo in Tokyo
Tokyo's smattering of Latin bars and restaurants offer a change of pace (literally) from the usual drinking spot, with booming Latin music and sometimes even salsa dancing.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 14, 2014
Le Petit Kanda: Oden with a strong Gallic accent
In Japan, it's not winter without oden. Some people find it hard to get excited about the idea — and the redolent reality — of kamaboko fish cake, hard-boiled eggs or chunks of daikon simmered interminably in murky baths of odoriferous dashi stock. But Le Petit Kanda makes this cold-season specialty...
LIFE / Travel / TRAVEL INSIDER
Jan 14, 2014
Taiwan to Shikoku; Mileage program; Cathay's additional flights
Taiwan to Shikoku

CULTURE

Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 14, 2014
Blue Hawaii surfs Net to an Asia tour
Though they hail from the same Montreal music scene that spawned crossover electronica star Grimes, the members of Blue Hawaii don't have any illusions about where they rank in the popularity stakes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 14, 2014
Girls' Generation "Love & Peace"
K-pop's golden days in Japan are over. The time when Korean groups could top the Oricon charts and (more importantly) monopolize media coverage is now a memory, in part due to an oversaturation of new acts. K-pop remains a strong niche market, though, even if the hallyu hype has fizzled out. Some groups...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 14, 2014
Metoronori "Veil"
Time will tell whether "Veil" sounds good come warmer months, but right now it's the perfect album for winter. Tokyo artist Metoronori's third full-length album appeared online in the middle of last week, when the wind blew especially cold. With the heat cranked up and the windows shut, "Veil" was a...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 14, 2014
Will Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine beat Spotify?
Buying music is passe; nowadays it's all about renting. Billboard reports that sales of "album plus track equivalent albums" fell by 7.6 percent in 2013. (Among subcategories of both digital and physical media, only vinyl sales increased last year.) The new hot trends are monthly subscription services...

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji